This invention relates to an article of manufacture in the form of three dimensional molded fibrous sheet material, and to a method of producing such an article. The molded articles of this invention are particularly suited for use as fibrous surfaced panels for automobile trunk compartments and the like. Such molded articles must have a three dimensional configuration to conform to the irregular shapes present in an automobile trunk compartment, such as wheel wells, spare tire compartments, structural supports, and the like. It is also important that these molded articles retain the three dimensional configuration during normal use and when subjected to the heat and wear conditions ordinarily encountered in automobile trunk compartments.
Heretofore, molded fibrous surfaced articles produced for this purpose have been constructed of a plurality of layers, typically including a fibrous textile face layer and a backing layer to give the desired moldability, stiffness and shape retentive characteristics. For example, one known prior product of this type employs a needled nonwoven web with an extrusion coated film layer of a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene on the rear surface to give the necessary stiffness and moldability. One of the limitations and disadvantages of this type of prior product is its relative expense, and in some applications it does not provide the desired degree of shape retention. Examples of other molded articles of a layered construction are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,172,166; 4,205,113; and 4,424,250.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved molded article having enhanced rigidity and shape retentive characteristics, and an aesthetically pleasing textile outer surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a molded article of the type described which can be produced at a more economical cost.